World leaders from the G20 rich and developing economies broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday, despite opposition from the US, which is boycotting the two-day talks in a diplomatic rift with the host country.
Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said a leaders’ declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members at the start of the talks in Johannesburg. Declarations are usually adopted at the end of G20 summits.
The 122-point declaration urged more global action on issues that specifically affect poor countries, such as climate-related disasters and sovereign debt levels, and was promoted by the host country as a victory for the first G20 summit to be held in Africa.
Photo: Pool via REUTERS
The summit has been overshadowed by a boycott ordered by US President Donald Trump, and Washington had put pressure on South Africa not to adopt a leaders’ declaration in the absence of a US delegation, South African officials said.
South Africa’s summit had an ambitious agenda to make progress on solving some of the long-standing problems that have afflicted the developing world, and leaders and top government officials came together at an exhibition center near the township of Soweto, which was once home to former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Many of South Africa’s priorities, especially a focus on climate change and confronting global inequality, met resistance from the US. However, as he opened the summit, Ramaphosa said that “consensus has emerged.”
Then, in comments to leaders that were apparently mistakenly broadcast during what was meant to be the start of closed-door discussions, Ramaphosa could be heard saying leaders would move “to adopt our declaration now.”
South Africa’s foreign minister walked over and whispered in Ramaphosa’s ear, and the South African leader said: “OK. I’m told that the cameras are still on. They should be off.”
While Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said the declaration was unanimous, Argentina said it did not endorse it.
Argentine President Javier Milei also did not attend the summit in solidarity with ally Trump, and the country was represented by Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Pablo Quirno.
South Africa set the agenda for the summit as the country holding the rotating G20 presidency, and wanted leaders to agree to more help for poor countries to recover from climate-fueled disasters, reduce their foreign debt burdens, transition to green energy sources and harness their own critical mineral wealth.
G20 declarations detail broad agreements reached by the members. South Africa said the US was exerting pressure to tone down the final document to a unilateral statement from the host country.
Ramaphosa responded this week by saying “we will not be bullied.”
The direction of the G20 bloc is likely to change sharply after the US takes over the rotating presidency at the end of the summit.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
RSS